We&#146;ve had our Mazda5 for two years &#150; one of the first on the road here in the area and now we see them everywhere! We've loved it and have recommended the car to anyone who asks. That said...

We just had our third child and the oldest now sits in the far back row nearly all the time. The younger two are in the middle seats. Given his proximity to the rear window and the back of the car, I looked on line to check on rear crash test ratings. Finding nothing, I then went to the dealer. In a nut shell, I&#146;ve found nothing. I&#146;m sure this car has been tested somewhere in the world &#150; if not by Mazda directly &#150; and I really want to find those results. Anyone have any ideas?

While the dealer told me that it doesn&#146;t have results &#147;because it isn&#146;t a car, a truck, an SUV or any other class of car and so can&#146;t be compared...&#148; I found that to be a BS answer. I&#146;d just like to know &#150; if a truck hits the back of my vehicle, how will things be for my son?

One thing I have wondered about the 5 is how much effect the plastic rear hatch affects rear crash results. I would think that the plastic can deform and shatter, potentially absorbing more energy than metal, but my physics are a bit rusty.

Anyway, to the OP, the 5 is a safe car. It's strange that it isn't tested in NA, but The Eurocap results are pretty impressive. The only thing I would like to see is the IIHS frontal offset, as I imagine that could present some risk to the drive feet. The middle and back rows look to be pretty darn safe though.

One other element that isn't often mentioned is that the Mazda 5's handling is a huge advantage in an emergency situation. Unlink a small SUV, it's better handling and lower center of gravity should keep the 5 on all 4 wheels even in an extreme swerve.

The one other ding on the 5 is that Traction Control and Stability Control are not offered. To me this isn't a big deal, but it is becoming available/standard on more and more cars and may be of importance to others. Again, I don't find it to be a big hassle, but I certainly will not impose that train of though on others.

Here are the two links to Euro NCAP tests. Keep in mind that the test differs from the US test, just as the driving conditions vary. I wish I found this before I bought my Mazda 5 since I would have never bought it. 3 star rating for my daughter on the back is not acceptable to me.

No wonder we have so many autistic kids and learning disabilities. We spend a lot of time surrounded by polution!

Bromine Bromine is likely associated with the use of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). BFRs are added to plastics, fabrics and foams in order to impart fire resistance, but they are released from these materials into the environmental over the life of the vehicle or child car seat. Heat and UV-ray exposure in cars can accelerate the breakdown of these chemicals and possibly increase their toxicity. Some BFRs have been associated with thyroid problems, learning and memory impairment, decreased fertility, behavioral changes, and other health problems.

ChlorineChlorine is likely associated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a widely used type of plastic that is of concern to the environment and public health during all phases of its life cycle. Flexible PVC contains chemicals called phthalates, some of which have been associated with decreased fertility, pre-term deliveries, and damage to the liver, testes, thyroid, ovaries, kidneys, and blood. There is also evidence that phthalates can pass from mothers to babies through the placenta and through breast milk.

LeadLead is sometimes used as an additive in plastics. Exposure to it can lead to a number of health effects depending on the exposure level. It can cause brain damage as well as problems with the kidneys, blood, nerves, and the reproductive system. It can also cause learning and behavioral problems.

Geee, don't leave your house if you don't want to be exposed to any of those things... oh wait, how many things made out of toxic materials are in your house?

Yes, there is a little bit of "bad things" everywhere, but then you may find out that some ethnicities are more prone to cancer than others, or there are some hereditary conditions that make your kids more prone to certain illnesses...or maybe kids go to school and are exposed to tuberculosis by a fellow student, or even they break a bone when playing in the swing, who knows...

I love my family and I care, but live a little, we cannot keep the kids in a magic world bubble :sick:

..however would you willingly expose your child to chemicals that "might" be poisonous? If you had a choice. Even if there is a little risk, I'd still try to avoid it if I knew about it ahead of time. Let's say you're debating between two cars and one is low toxic and the other one is high toxic. Which one do you chose all else being equal?Sadly for me my first two choices of Subaru Forester and Mazda 5 were all very toxic. It's too late, I already bought Mazda 5, but if I can help someone else get this information I'll be at peace.I know that people just DON'T WANT TO HEAR the bad news about their beloved car. I am the same way. But I wish someone told me that before I bought it. It would have swayed my decision to another automaker (Honda for example).

Thank you for the heads up on the toxics. I was familiar that "new car scent" was bad for you. Now I fully expect to drive our new car around with all the windows open for the next few months. And maybe even leave them open in the garage for the 1st few weeks. I would hate to think I could have lessened my 2 daughter's exposure to toxics and didn't at least TRY to minimize it.

Oh, and we can't just "stay in our house," just learned we have RADON. Eeek!

I hear what you are saying, and i wouldn't want to willingly expose anyone to harmful chemicals.However, salt can be toxic. Water can be toxic if you drink too much of it. It is all about the dose. I don't spend 8 hours a day or even 1 hour a day in my car, although i understand that some people do spend lots of time in their car. It's not as great a concern for me. On balance, i think there are many other harmful things in our environment that we are exposing ourselves to without knowing it. Maybe if we spend less time thinking about what our cars are made of and instead concentrate on how we can spend less time in cars, we would be better off in many ways.But i am all for reducing the amount of these unnecessary chemicals in our cars. I some manufacturers can do it (i notice Nissan has a pretty good track record), all of them can. This is all only my humble opinion and I will shut up now.

I agree with riproy. I don't wanna tell you the car chemicals you were exposed when you were a kid, problem is, nobody really started making serious analysis until recently.

My family and I don't spend large amount of time in the car, plus the cars are either on shade or garage most of the time. In addition, hot weather in this area is not as bad as i.e. Texas or Georgia

Also, I do this for my little one:- Limit their TV watching to 15-30 minutes a week. Enjoy outdoors whenever possible so they sweat their hyperactivity (at least 1hr a day)- Boost their creativity by playing with Legos, read them books and play nice music instead of watching Baby Einstein videos and Dora the explorer- Feed them healthy, organic foods. Avoid McDonalds, Burger King and pizza from Chucky Cheese- Get the best seats or boosters regardless of price. As an example Britax offers 5 point harness for weights that nobody else offers.

If you have checked all of the above, then worrying about car chemicals might not be as critical as you think.

Hi - I think you're worrying unnecessarily about the crash tests. No matter what you drive, if you get hit hard enough, no car will help you. Sounds like you don't want a Mazda, you want an armored personnel carrier! Just drive safely, stay at 55 mph in the right lane on the highway, and enjoy your new car. There's plenty of real important stuff to worry about rather then what might happen. Enjoy and have a good day!

It is true that good food, exercise and limited time watching TV help raise healthy, happy, well adjusted kids. But what does that have to do with chosing the BEST car for your family? I think you guys on this board refuse to hear any criticism of Mazda 5 and will justify and defend the manufacturer and car at all costs. I don't understand that at all. I know that different people have different needs and priorities - that's normal! I always wondered who buys those Mercuries or Oldmobiles etc. But every good has it's customer. It's important not to lose track of the topic at point, which is safety. Yes, driving carefully and cautiously is of the most importance. But when you are making a 20k investment in the car YOU HAVE TO BASE YOUR DECISION on some fact, right? For some of you that fact was sliding door, for some it was 5 seats, for some it was the look of the car. I'm sure equal number of people were disuaded from purchasing this car based on those same exact criteria which they found unappealing or undesirable. I was just trying to give information to the ones that might want it or need it to make their decision. Face it: crash test ratings and overall healthy atmosphere influences any informed buyer. Buying a car is a give and take - you like something, you dislike something else and at the end you reach some sort of equilibrium that you can live with. I refuse to be silenced and put down for my concerns about the car. I don't appreciate put downs and patronizing. This forum helped me a lot when I was looking at different cars. It presented a lot of positive opinions and pointed out shortcomings. I'm just doing my duty pointing out things I wish were pointed out to me. You can call me paranoid freak in effort to make yourselves feel good about your purchasing decision. That's ok, I understand. I just spent a lot of money too and want to believe that it was the best decision I could have made .Thanks.

It costed you 20K, that is not exactly a Rolls-Royce quality car price. I love my car but I know is not the top of the crop.

You are not being silenced nor patronized. Don't forget that this is a forum, so people express their opinion in their replies, you either take them or leave them, don't expect all the forum members to agree with you. As per being silenced, I think you just did the opposite, or did somebody ban you from typing your last reply?

Yes, I feel good about my purchases (I own not one, but two Mazda5s) and I have explained why in the forum. You either take or leave the advice. I won't call you a paranoid freak as I think you also have explained your reasons on your own right, and that is valid to me (although not critical for my purchases, period)

I just need to comment regarding the 3 star rating for children. it is NOT because the child would get hurt it is because the ISOFIX connectors are not labelled and on the model tested did not have deactivation switch in the front passenger seat for the airbag. If there had been any contact at all with the child it would have said. I just wanted to make this clear.

Just an fyi most of the chemicals that are in the car are the fire retardants that government forces the car manufacturers to put on the seats and stuff. The same ones that are on all of the furniture we buy. I personally bought my car in the summer so that I could have the windows open 99% of the time and yes I also left them open in the garage for months and month.

I just think that unfortunately companies are in it for the profit and it not until there is a big to do about it all they will not change and do not expect the government to make them as they just want them to keep the economy going. safety does not pay them or the companies anything. they can produce as many 'studies' as are required to defend what they do. We just have to be responsible for ourselves.

Personally find that we as a society need to get our priorities correct. If you feel that the toxic chemicals are something that would prevent you from buying the car then do not. If the lack of ESC restricts you then don't get the car. It is only a car unfortunately we tend to treat it as an entertainment and mini house with the number of hour we spend in them. is this a good thing you decide.

Last week, I drove my M5 and stop at the inter-section to wait traffic light. In that momentum, there was a guy knocked my window to tell me my car rear door was opened. It is surprising me, there is No any warning shown on my dashboard. As we knew, any door ajar will cause the Red Light warning on the dashboard. I called the car dealer who told me that is "normal" because the batch M5 which I bought didn't have such feature( rear door ajar warning function). But later batch M5 equipped such function.

What I am thinking, if my children sit in the rear part of this car. Sometimes, we will put the seat to flat and allow children play there. or put luggage at rear of the car. In case of the rear door doesn't closed well and driver do not know it. It is very possible to cause serious accidents.

Have any one can have the same issues ? or The car dealer is right ? Please share with me your guys thought and experiences, appreciate.

Hi, there:I just want to know from you who own Mazda 5 car. Does your dashboard warning LED show door opened while the rear door didn't close well( ajar) ??I am worry about just mine Mazda 5 has this problem only.

Possibly I have owned several old cars as a student and that has made me paranoid to always to double check when shutting the doors, lift-gate, etc. That goes along with checking all levels when there is a relatively long trip.

And, by the way, It is really visible when the lift-gate is not fully closed.

I have an extensive background in industrial safety, with a focus on chemical safety. Here are some points to ponder -

1. Mazda 5 is a very safe car on crash tests for adults:

NHTSA has a matrix for testing car safety that looks at a variety of factors. One of the most significant factors that may cause a vehicle NOT to be tested is that it has recently rec'd high scores on the Euro and Japanese tests (and the vehicle is structurally the same model). Doesn't mean it won't ever be tested, but it drops way down the waiting list. I think this is good gov't policy, and puts untested cars through the system sooner than might otherwise be the case.

2. Mazda 5 is very safe for children in appropriate restraints:

I agree that the lower child rating on the Euro test is procedural NOT the result of inadequate protection. The Euro test automatically deducts safety points for lack of clear labels, poorly marked electrical connections, etc. The wisdom seems clear - if things are poorly marked, then parents could incorrectly install safety seats, and technicians could inadvertently disconnect air bag sensors.

3. Toxicity issues are suspect:

I've gone to the Healthycar.org link. Although the idea is great, the described testing methods are inadequate. There are two important factors regarding elemental chemical safety: PRESENCE, and AVAILABILITY.

Most elements in our environment are present, but unavailable. Table salt, for instance is one of the most commonly used food additives. It's 50% chlorine! The chlorine is present, but it's unavailable. As long as it's bound to the sodium, it's a safe compound. Various processes could return it to elemental chlorine, which in some forms can be a harmful irritant - even causing serious injury or death.

Bromine is actually quite common in foods and medicines. It's one of the key components of chocolate.

Arsenic, antimony, and lead can be harmful when not bound in stable compounds.

Since the healthycar results do not test which compounds contain these items, we cannot gain any indication of toxicity. Just bad data being used to generate bad conclusions.

Now, do I think that my new car is NOT toxic? I use my nose. If I can smell something that is not a known safe compound, then I assume it's not safe. I air it out. Just seems prudent to me.

Same thing with crash safety - too many factors in a crash. Try like heck to stay away from circumstances that would result in a crash, buckle up, and buy the best child seats money can buy - AND BE SURE TO LOOK AT SEAT CRASH DATA!

So, would you think that was one of the defect of this car ? Because when I bought my car in 2007 and no body(dealer) tell me about this even the operation/maitenance manual and car specification note the door ajar warning function. Can I claim this to Mazda Co. ? Will it success ?

Because as I know all of the cars with liftgate/rear hatch without such problem.